Milan police investigate deadly shooting

MILAN, Tenn. — A shooting in Milan left one person dead and injured another Tuesday morning, according to the Milan Police Department. Officers said they are still searching for the gunman.

“It was very scary, very scary for me,” Diane Johnson, a neighbor, said.

Johnson woke up to gunfire Tuesday morning. Police said someone shot two people around 12:30 a.m. inside a house on Patton Street. “It sounded like somebody was banging on the window,” Johnson said.

Officers said Rontavious M. McKinley, 22, and Sharonda A. Simmons, 18, both were taken to a Jackson hospital. Milan Police Chief Bobby Sellers confirmed McKinley died several hours later. “They were both shot multiple times,” Sellers said.

Officers returned to the scene to collect evidence and talk to eyewitnesses. “A couple of people were in the house,” Sellers said. “They’ve been talking to them to find out what they saw.”

Sellers said they believe the two victims were targeted. Police did not release a possible motive but said they plan to review video footage from the area. “We don’t have a lot of this in Milan,” Sellers said. “Right now, we’re just following up some leads.”

Johnson said the shooting comes as a surprise. “I’ve been here about 16 years and nothing like this has ever happened,” Johnson said.

Investigators said two other people inside the home at the time of the shooting were not hurt. Police said the surviving victim is in stable condition.

Sellers said this is Milan’s first homicide of the year.

If you have any information about the shooting, call Milan police at 731-686-3309.